An NADPH-dependent aldehyde reductase was purified from rat brain microsomes to electrophoretic homogeneity. The purified enzyme had a molecular weight of 75,000 and reduced long chain fatty aldehydes such as octanal and hexadecanal with higher affinity ( K m values of 0.21 mM and 0.03 mM, respectively) than for various artificial carbonyl com...

An NADPH-dependent aldehyde reductase was purified from rat brain microsomes to electrophoretic homogeneity. The purified enzyme had a molecular weight of 75,000 and reduced long chain fatty aldehydes such as octanal and hexadecanal with higher affinity ( K m values of 0.21 mM and 0.03 mM, respectively) than for various artificial carbonyl compounds such as p -nitrobenzaldehyde and p -nitroacetophenone ( K m values of 0.31 nm and 1.4 mM respectively). The purified microsomal aldebyde reductase also showed NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity, and it could not be distinguished from NADPH-cytochrome c reductase in molecular weight (75,000), chromatographic behavior, electrophoretic mobility, or immunological properties. The solubilized microsomal fraction treated with steapsin lost the reductase activity for hexadecanal but not that for cytochrome c . These results suggest that the aldehyde reductase in brain microsomes is identical to NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and that a hydrophobic portion of the NADPH-cytochrome c reductase is required for the reduction of hexadecanal. Minimize

Two ecologically distinct forms, fresh- and brackish-water types, of ninespine stickleback co-exist in several freshwater systems on the coast of eastern Hokkaido. Recent genetic analyses of 13 allozyme loci revealed genetic separation between the two types even though their spawning grounds were in close proximity. On the other hand, there is o...

Two ecologically distinct forms, fresh- and brackish-water types, of ninespine stickleback co-exist in several freshwater systems on the coast of eastern Hokkaido. Recent genetic analyses of 13 allozyme loci revealed genetic separation between the two types even though their spawning grounds were in close proximity. On the other hand, there is only a small difference in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence between the two types suggesting that they diverged quite recently or that mtDNA introgression occurred between them. To test for postzygotic reproductive isolating mechanisms and hybrid mediated gene flow, we examined the viability and reproductive performance of reciprocal F1 hybrids. The hybrids grew to the adult size normally and both sexes expressed secondary sexual characters in the reciprocal crosses. The female hybrids were reciprocally fertile, while the male hybrids were reciprocally sterile. Histological and flow-cytometric analyses of the hybrid testis revealed that the sterility pattern was classified as `gametic sterility,' with gonads of normal size but abnormal spermatogenesis. To our knowledge, the present finding is a novel example of one sex hybrid sterility in the stickleback family (Gasterosteidae). Minimize

An ectopic tonsil is defined as tonsillar tissue that develops in areas outside of the four major tonsil groups: the palatine, lingual, pharyngeal, and tubal tonsils. The occurrence of tonsillar tissue in the oral cavity in ectopic locations, its prevalence, and its developmental mechanisms that belong to its formation remain unclear. In this re...

An ectopic tonsil is defined as tonsillar tissue that develops in areas outside of the four major tonsil groups: the palatine, lingual, pharyngeal, and tubal tonsils. The occurrence of tonsillar tissue in the oral cavity in ectopic locations, its prevalence, and its developmental mechanisms that belong to its formation remain unclear. In this report, we describe a rare case of bilateral symmetric ectopic oral tonsillar tissue located at the ventral surface of the tongue along with two solitary cases arising from the floor of the mouth. The role of immune system and its aberrant response leading to ectopic deposits desires further studies. As an ectopic tonsil may simulate a benign soft tissue tumor, this case series highlights the importance of this entity in our clinical differential diagnosis of oral soft tissue masses. Minimize

OBJECTIVE— The pathogenesis of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and fulminant type 1 diabetes remains unclear, although it is known that immune-mediated processes severely compromise the endocrine and exocrine functions in both diseases.

OBJECTIVE— The pathogenesis of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and fulminant type 1 diabetes remains unclear, although it is known that immune-mediated processes severely compromise the endocrine and exocrine functions in both diseases. Minimize

Mammalian genomes are organized into multiple layers of higher-order chromatin structure, and in this organization chromatin looping is a striking and crucial feature that brings together distal genomic loci into close spatial proximity. Such three-dimensional organization of chromatin has been suggested to be functionally important in gene regu...

Mammalian genomes are organized into multiple layers of higher-order chromatin structure, and in this organization chromatin looping is a striking and crucial feature that brings together distal genomic loci into close spatial proximity. Such three-dimensional organization of chromatin has been suggested to be functionally important in gene regulation. Many important questions need to be addressed, such as what types of nuclear proteins are responsible for folding chromatin into loops, whether there are any genomic marks that serve as the core sites of chromatin folding events, how distal genomic sites are brought together, and what are the biological consequences for interactions between distal genomic loci. In order to address these fundamental questions, it is essential to devise and employ methods that can capture higher-order structures formed by specific nuclear proteins at high resolution. In this article, in order to describe methods of analyzing protein-mediated chromatin interactions, we will use as an example a global genome-organizer protein, SATB1, which mediates chromatin looping. Minimize

The patient was an 82-year-old male who consulted us over a lymph node enlargement in the right side of his neck. The WBC was 23,700/μl (lymphocytes 80%), and a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was given based on the findings of a bone marrow puncture and lymph node biopsy. During the observation period, abnormal shadows accompani...

The patient was an 82-year-old male who consulted us over a lymph node enlargement in the right side of his neck. The WBC was 23,700/μl (lymphocytes 80%), and a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was given based on the findings of a bone marrow puncture and lymph node biopsy. During the observation period, abnormal shadows accompanied by cavitation appeared in the right lower lung field, and CT-guided percutaneous biopsy findings indicated a squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. No metastatic lesions were noted. No aggressive surgical or internal treatments were performed in consideration of the patient's age. The patient was admitted again and died of respiratory failure due to lung carcinoma. Reports of CLL and other malignant tumors arising in one patient are rare in Japan, and those of their occurring concurrently are even rarer. In the present report, a case of synchronous cancer of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and CLL is described, together with a review of the literature. Minimize

Satb1 and the closely related Satb2 proteins regulate gene expression and higher-order chromatin structure of multigene clusters in vivo. In examining the role of Satb proteins in murine embryonic stem (ES) cells, we find that Satb1−/− cells display an impaired differentiation potential and augmented expression of the pluripotency determinants N...

Satb1 and the closely related Satb2 proteins regulate gene expression and higher-order chromatin structure of multigene clusters in vivo. In examining the role of Satb proteins in murine embryonic stem (ES) cells, we find that Satb1−/− cells display an impaired differentiation potential and augmented expression of the pluripotency determinants Nanog, Klf4, and Tbx3. Metastable states of self-renewal and differentiation competence have been attributed to heterogeneity of ES cells in the expression of Nanog. Satb1−/− cultures have a higher proportion of Nanoghigh cells, and an increased potential to reprogram human B lymphocytes in cell fusion experiments. Moreover, Satb1-deficient ES cells show an increased expression of Satb2, and we find that forced Satb2 expression in wild-type ES cells antagonizes differentiation-associated silencing of Nanog and enhances the induction of NANOG in cell fusions with human B lymphocytes. An antagonistic function of Satb1 and Satb2 is also supported by the almost normal differentiation potential of Satb1−/−Satb2−/− ES cells. Taken together with the finding that both Satb1 and Satb2 bind the Nanog locus in vivo, our data suggest that the balance of Satb1 and Satb2 contributes to the plasticity of Nanog expression and ES cell pluripotency. Minimize